Beeld en Geluid

The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (‘Beeld en Geluid’) has one of Europe’s largest audiovisual archives; the unique building at Hilversum’s Media Park contains more than a million hours of television, radio, film and music. Sound and Vision makes its collection accessible to various audiences, including media professionals, the creative sector, education and the general public.

Since April 3, 2015, the public guides of Sound and Vision have been given a whole new look. Beekman Staffstyling designed a completely restyled outfit and an exclusive fabric for the clothing. The custom-made fabric is built up out of hundreds of miniscule images of famous faces and scenes from Dutch television history.

UNIQUE SELLING POINTS

Corporate vs individual: The design is created by looking closely at the organisation’s brand values, in which the identity of the individual staff member plays a central role. It is important that the clothing worn by the employees projects the right corporate image: Corporate Fashion as a communication resource. We offer representative clothing that focuses on the identity of the business as a whole. Clothing is, without a doubt, an exceptionally strong promotional tool, as it ensures solid branding and recognition by the public.

Focus on fit: In addition to displaying the corporate identity, fit and functionality are also very important for the individual. The clothing should have a good fit and be comfortable, allowing the person to move freely and feel good. Because we design our own clothing collection for both regular and larger sizes, we have expertise in grading patterns from size 34 up to size 58, or in other words from XS to XXXXXL. The art lies in maintaining the same corporate appeal for every size.

‘User generated’ content: This is always done together with the employee. It creates a support base, which in turn adds to the employees’ motivation. To achieve this, we speak personally with the staff, hold fitting sessions and use real-life colleagues in the style guide photo shoot. Also, the clothing should always meet the demands of the specific profession, as well as the work involved. Therefore, trends and innovations relating to the current products and services of the profession are always taken into consideration when designing and developing the clothing.

Small change, great effect: The clothing is designed based on the idea that by making only small adjustments, the clothing remains innovative and up to date, without it having to affect prices in the long term.

Washability: When designing the clothes, we always consider the washability of the item. Outsourcing the cleaning of company clothing can be a costly exercise, which is why we have chosen a fabric quality that can be washed at home by the employees.

Durability in design: In addition to the quality and durability of the product itself, we also make sure the clothing is designed in such a way that it can maintain its appeal in the current fashion scene. Through a small change in the design continuously remains a connection with the current fashion. When designing the clothes, our designers take the mainstream fashion trends and translate them into what we call ‘corporate casual’ wear. Yet the clothes aren’t susceptible to changing trends, allowing the designs to stay current for several years. Not only are the colours and the use of fabric tailored to the fashion trends, but the cut also follows the current style.

Dyanne Beekman says about the design for Sound and Vision: “In every design I challenge myself to come up with a corporate image that expresses the self-respect of the individual. It’s important that, with just a few elements, you can create your own identity by making a small change. I am proud that we were able to dress the public guides of Sound and Vision, the institute which houses an enormous audiovisual archive, in a suitable outfit with which they can once again bring all the splendour of television and radio history closer to the visitor. One of our USPs is that this is not a one-off design for Sound and Vision, but we in the coming years in relation to the activities in the museum, the clothing with a small change in a sustainable way keep up-to-date."